Jamie Siever Photography

Joey Knuckles – Featured Tattoo Artist | Philadelphia Tattoo Photographer

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:16:35 +0000

We are lucky in this city. We have some incredibly talented tattoo artists that work here and create amazing art for the people of Philly and those who travel from far and wide to be tattooed by them. One day it hit me that this would be a great place to showcase the work of some of the great artists working here and find out a bit more about them. I love finding out about someone’s story (shocking, I know) and I figured that some of my readers may too. Who knows, you might find a new artist you want to work with!

I’m lucky, too. I have clients with some of the most amazing tattoos. Such was the case with one of my first clients ever, maybe you’ll remember http://www.jamiesieverphotography.com/fun-suburban-philadelphia-child-and-tattoo-photographer/. When I got home, my husband forced me to email her immediately to find out who’d tattooed her. And, then, when the time came for him to get his first tattoo, that artist was the person he went to. And, that guy was Joey Knuckles. My husband’s last session with Joey was last night – the last of four. So, we made it a date of sorts, and I got to hang out with two very handsome men and chat at Olde City Tattoo, 44 S. 2nd Street, in Philadelphia.

Jamie: I love your stuff. Can you describe your style in a sentence or two?
Knuckles: ”Middle school”. Not like, middle school, but I don’t think I am “old school” because I don’t leave skin showing like they used to – they didn’t color from edge to edge. Not new school either. So, middle school. I like black shading and nice, solid colors. I think I would say that my tattoos are in the traditional style, but with my art.

Jamie: What’s your favorite piece that you’ve done to date?
Knuckles: I think that whatever you’ve done last is your favorite. I am currently doing Bird’s head, and it’s great to get to do work on someone you like and respect.

Jamie: What’s your favorite piece that you wear?
Knuckles: I’m loving Tim Victim’s coverups these days. He did one for me, and it really blew my mind when he asked me to do one for him. I have work from Stony St. Claire, who taught Marty Holcombe. I’ve gotten art from the guys who are really the masters, Bowery Stan, Jerry at Philadelphia Eddies.

Jamie: How long have you been tattooing and how did you get started?
Knuckles: I did my first tattoo on myself when I was 14 with a homemade gun. It was a straightedge x. My mom was not happy when she saw it. When I was 23, I got a job as a piercer and after a few months, I progressed and they started teaching me to tattoo. Dan Wesley really gave me my first break. Then, I was asked to work at High Street Tattoo. Giovanni really flipped my game upside down, and I learned a lot from him and the super talented people there.

Jamie: What would you be doing if you were not a tattoo artist?
Knuckles: Time. Haha. Probably still cooking and getting into trouble.

Jamie: What do you get the most requests for?
Knuckles: Flowers, bright colors. I’ve done a lot of owls lately. I would say 80% of my clients are women, because I do a lot of pretty, fancy work. I don’t do much horror stuff. I just like to draw pretty stuff and make it look cool.

Jamie: What inspires you?
Knuckles: Eastern Indian religious art. I am inspired by Alfonse Mucha; his art influences my foliage, among other things. I like anything with flourish, things that are done nicely, and things with beautiful detail. I also really love how Japanese work uses the muscle structure and how the design flows on the body.

Jamie: What’s the strangest request you’ve ever had?
Knuckles: Once, I was doing a tattoo on a guy’s girlfriend, and he was asking me about what he could get for free. There was a portrait of myself hanging at my station and I told him that it was free to get that done. So, that’s what he got.
Jamie: Uh, that’s weird. Did you know him?
Knuckles: Not only did I not know him, it was his first tattoo.

Jamie: Is there anything you won’t do?
Knuckles: Other than tattoo minors? Yeah, I won’t do a tattoo that I know won’t look nice, even if it’s what the person really thinks they want.

Jamie: What is one thing that everyone should know about you?
Knuckles: My farts make noise but they don’t stink. Really. Seriously, though, what people should know about me is that I really care about what I do. This is what I know, and I really want it to be perfect. The more you do it the way it’s supposed to be done, the better you are.

Jamie: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Knuckles: If I still have hands and sight, I’ll still be making art. I’d like to have a family, settle down eventually. (The nosy busybody in me can’t help but tell any single girl reading this that he is adorable and funny on top of being talented, and wants to settle down and have a family…)

You can see more of Knuckles’ work at www.joeyknucklestattoo.com. Keep an eye out for some really exciting stuff coming up on the horizon for Joey Knuckles.

Knuckles tattoos Sunday – Thursday at Olde City Tattoo. You can call 215-627-6271 to make an appointment with him or stop by at 44 S. 2nd Street.

Isn’t She Lovely | Philadelphia Baby Photographer

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:27:14 +0000

I am lucky. You see, yesterday, the sun was shining brightly, the air was crisp and cool. I went to my morning session to photograph Ms. K, on the occasion of her being 9 months old. When I arrived, I found a gorgeous baby, with darling, lovely, beautiful parents, who were also funny and kind. They also live in a beautiful home that was oh-so-unpacked despite their quite recent move. Oh, and then there was Dewey. Yes, they have the sweetest dog alive (don’t tell my dog I said that). See, people? Lucky.

Apparently, she wasn’t impressed with me, as she is normally quite smiley.

I did have sparkly things, and she really likes sparkly things, so this was good.

She eventually decided she wanted to show that pretty smile!

And, see? Dewey. (No worse for the wear after an ACL tear.)

Thanks, N family. You guys are awesome!

Philly’s Phinest | Philadelphia Tattoo Photographer

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:19:55 +0000

Oh, blog reader. You are really going to love me. Well, if you love knowing about who the most amazing tattoo artists are in the Philadelphia area are, and getting an in-depth look at them, their art, and hearing it straight from the artist’s mouth, that is. Interested yet? Keep reading.

I’ve been bubbling over with excitement about a new feature that I am going to have here. I’ll be interviewing some of the most talented artists in Philly, showing you photos of them doing what they do best (tattooing, silly! what else would I be talking about?!), and showing off some of their work, too. I cannot wait to interview my first artist on Thursday night. I don’t want to spoil the fun and tell you who he is, yet, but his work is amazing. One of my first clients had some artwork from this guy. I loved it so much that I convinced my husband to use him for his first tattoo. (It didn’t actually take much convincing once we looked through his work.)

I’ll be in the Olde City on Thursday. (hint, hint)

Check back here for the goods in a few days!

The Real Deal | Main Line Newborn Photographer

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:37:22 +0000

I wanted to do the B Family justice, so here goes with a real blog post. I met Mama B at an art and craft fair on Passyunk Avenue. I had a table next to hers. She makes these awesome smelling soy lotion candles, which can be had at her website www.evanandearth.com, btw. Anyway, as we are both chatters, we started talking (Daddy B was there too, and wasn’t shy with the talk either. Love it!) Mama B was very pregnant, and it was quite hot. She was a trooper, though. I think she complained less than I did. We exchanged business cards, and, I got an email from her shortly before she was to deliver. Only, I was going on vacation and couldn’t do it. But Mama B is so sweet, with her pretty southern accent and charm. How could I say no? But, that meant I didn’t get to edit their photos for a sneak peek as quickly as I wanted to. They were so gracious, though. Even when I ran into them later on in Target, they shook their heads understandingly when I told them it would just be a few more days. Big Brother even squealed with a little excitement when he saw me, sweet boy! Patient B family, here is the rest of your sneak peek.

Perfect | Delaware Maternity and Tattoo Photographer

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:20:28 +0000

You would not believe how perfect this mama to be’s skin was. I could not believe that she made it through this much of her pregnancy with not a single stretch mark, but she did. Her belly is perfect. She attributes it to faithful lotion application, but I think it’s gotta be good genes. Either way, that perfect belly was attached to the lovely Jess, who is also attached to the equally lovely Kevin. (Although I couldn’t remember his name was Kevin at first. Embarrassing. I stink at names.) Even after I showed up at her mom’s house and the session was subsequently moved there, Jess and Kevin were sweet and funny, and you could see how much fun they have together. This little baby on the way is one lucky girl to have such loving parents! Thanks, guys, for being so gracious about me calling Kevin “you” that time and for, uh, not coming to your house. I can’t wait to meet your little one and hope she is on the way soon!
I had to use some restraint and not post all of the pictures from their session – I had so many favorites!

Sweet Child of Theirs | Main Line Newborn Photographer

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:21:17 +0000

Just one for now of the darling second son of the B Family. I have been on vacation until today and the B Family has been incredibly patient waiting for their sneak peek. I wanted to edit at least one for you guys to see when I got home tonight! More to come, soon. And, you, dear readers, will hear the story of how I met the B Family and of the very cool, earth friendly and good smelling product made by the company owned by Mama B. Full story at 11. Oh wait, it’s after 11. Let me just show you the cute baby instead.

Spidey and Brother | Main Line Child Photographer

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:12:42 +0000

Today, I met Spiderman. He taught me about the mechanics of web shooting, explained about surfaces to which a web will not adhere, and turned me into a frog. And then his sidekick (who is also his very cute blue eyed baby brother) taught me that if “Spiderman” is too hard to say, you just call him “Bubba”. This duo had some of the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen (courtesy of their mama, I believe). They were troopers for such a hot July morning. They gave each toy we presented them with at least a cursory try for a photo op. And, just as I promised Spidey, we did take some of him at the end in his costume. He was even allowed to jump off of the ottoman!

Thanks, D family. You’re too cute and it was a lot of fun!

Happiness | Philadelphia Family Photographer

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:53:05 +0000

I had the pleasure of meeting this family on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The day before, we had to cancel at the last minute because of pouring rain, so the weather was considerably better when I arrived and was greeted by this adorable family, completed by their trusty golden companion. We started out inside, but, Mr. J had other ideas – it was much too nice outside for him to play inside for too long. And who could blame him? The heat had finally broken, and this lovely green yard beckoned. We ran around, we blew bubbles, we enticed Trooper the Dog with cookies. All in all, a fun afternoon capturing a sweet little family time.

With Leo

This dog seriously loved to be photographed. He was posing!

Sweet mama and girl time.

And, a girl and her daddy. <3

Two pals – a boy and his dog.

Thanks for the fun, S Family!

Surprise! | Bucks County Newborn Photographer

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:05:11 +0000

I’m always impressed when parents have the restraint to be surprised by the sex of their baby in the delivery room. But this family was really surprised, to even be there in the first place! This little girl decided to make her entrance three weeks early! She just couldn’t wait to meet them! And with good reason, quite honestly. They are awesome – such a great, supportive team for each other already. Mama has this mommy thing down, even her own mom was impressed. Daddy, too. And, he is just in love with his little girl, too, there was no hiding that. It was easy to see all of the love in this house!
Anyway, thanks, J and J, your baby is darling. I know you know that, I only told you ten million times. And, thank you, baby H, for waiting until I was done! Can’t wait to show you the rest of these. And there are a lot!

Sweet Smiles | Philadelphia Baby and Tattooed Parent Photographer

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:02:04 +0000

I was so happy to be going back to see this family on Saturday! Mr. X and his parents are some of my most favorite clients ever! I wind up chatting with both parents half of the time because they are so cool. Mom and Dad have made all of these really cool things for Baby X, from drool bibs to shoes! Meaning, they created their own patterns, sewed them (Dad is really the one who can take the credit for this part), everything. They’re just cool, interesting and fun. Not to mention, they impress neurotic little me with how laid back they are! (They let me put temporary tattoos on their six month old baby. Let me? They were happy to, because they had their own!) I was also happy once I got there, because this boy who I photographed as a newborn has become the sweetest, smiliest, most darling boy ever. They say he was putting on a show for me, that he’s not always that sweet, but I don’t believe them. Anyway, K family, it was so great to hang out with you and chat. Hope you love these as much as I do! Many more to come, but I was excited to get a few quick ones up to show you.